In "The Pyramid" by William Golding, the idea of ​​freedom, both lost and gained, is encapsulated in the symbol of the car by Bounce. Oliver takes part in the events involving the car but is only a spectator, not fully understanding the manipulation that takes place. The car is a tool used to gain control, both sexual and emotional, and is also a symbol of the freedom lost and gained by society as a whole. The piece of technology eventually takes over the town as Oliver's love of music is overtaken by his father's urge to pursue chemistry. Ultimately, the car is just a decoration, a memorial to the freedom it has taken and given while sitting in a garage after Bounce's death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The book opens as Evie abruptly interrupts Imogen's dream of Oliver by asking him to help get Bounce's car out of a pond where Robert Ewan had crashed it while he and Evie were having sex. From the beginning of the novel, the vehicle is presented as a dirty getaway car, used for lewd and lustful acts performed in the dark of night. The driver, Robert Ewan, is a spoiled, pretentious man who refers to Evie as "young Babbacombe" and is rude to Oliver. The son of a doctor, he is quite high up in the social hierarchy of Stillbourne and would not be seen as an acceptable match for Evie, the auctioneer's daughter. He escapes the confines of his location using Bounce's car to disguise himself in the city. Oliver realizes this, thinking "I understood that Doctor Ewan's son couldn't take Sergeant Babbacombe's daughter dancing in her father's car. I didn't have to think. Naturally understood" (9). However, as soon as the car slides into the pond, Robert loses this freedom because he needs the help of Oliver, someone he despises. Oliver feels that this incident is a victory over the boy he hated. He expresses jealous disdain for Robert's boarding school, college promotion, and red motorcycle, and tells how Robert called him his servant when they were younger because Oliver's father worked in Robert's father's office. By simply using common sense, Oliver is able to do what Robert cannot and feels a certain sense of self-confidence. Unfortunately, he realizes that with this event "something had not ended. Something had begun" (12), perhaps referring to the longing for Evie that was beginning to creep up on him. For his favor towards Evie, Oliver expected something in return, which turned into an obsession he couldn't escape as he tormented her until he got the gratification he was looking for. Evie expected to gain freedom from her father's wrath as she lured Oliver into helping move the car, but instead found herself trapped in physical lust. Like Robert, she finds freedom from social standards and expectations in Bounce's car, but at night the car ends up in the pond, she loses her cross necklace, and she begins to fear the consequences of her actions. Oliver comes to her rescue by locating the necklace and returning it to her. The car is a tool for sexual gain in the first scene, offering freedom from social standards to Robert and Evie and giving Oliver the opportunity to become sexually involved with her. At the same time, the car is also used to show the loss of freedom that occurs as a result of this manipulation, as Robert must ask for outside help from a man he deems inferior to him. Later in the novel, Oliver has a flashback after seeing the car in Henry's garage many years after the pond incident. Through the memories of'..